RIP. Here is maybe the last interview and video of him by KTVN Reno prior to the event. http://www.ktvn.com/Global/category....autoStart=true

 

Just spoke with Todd Knighton (of Protomotive). He had not heard the sad news.
He was on phone and emailing Alex on Saturday (mid-day or so), helping him out
with some Fueling/Ecu issues before his final run. Alex said that after the tweaks,
the car was running better than ever and he was going to attempt to set MPH record. Todd said that Alex had really changed (in a postive way) lately. Sad.
MK

 

Truly sad to read all this...he was definitely a legend and while I didn't know him, the rest of your posts speak volumes about his character.

Rest in peace Alex...seems like we lost another great CGT driver...

 

Sorry this is long. Had to share some thoughts, and I suck at brevity.

Been on the phone w/Alex often for the past few weeks as he prep'd for this event. He went up several days early before anyone had arrived to drive the road, familiarize w/current surface conditions, scope out the line and get ready to go after it with an eye toward winning. I don't think a lot of people knew he had the 6th fastest time on the hill, set a few years ago in his underpowered Evo (amongst Vipers, Ruf Porsches and an F40 comprising the top 5)...his time just behind David Beddor in the Ruf CTR2. http://www.spectre341challenge.com/about/341-club/

Some may assume he just had well-built cars, not realizing he had driving skill to go along with it. Whatever led to his loss, it was an accident which happened to an experienced driver who loved what he was doing and was thoughtful about doing it well.

We may never know exactly what happened, but we can assume one thing with a great amount of certainty. Alex had that boyish passion for cars and driving which we all share. Perhaps that's the most important thing to realize, and that's what saddens all of us, friends or simply readers and members of online car communities who enjoyed what he shared. He was one of those rare people who lent tremendous color and vibrance to the fabric of many car enthusiast communities.

I'll share some thoughts, just as I would if we were hanging out at a memorial together remembering.

I liked Alex. No doubt he had some much closer friends who he saw often, and knowing Alex...you guys probably have some serious adventures and tales to share someday. I was probably one of many, many car friends he kept in touch with on the phone, sharing humorous emails, texts, etc and saw once in a while. He was one very fun person to be friends with and talk to. I'd often be up working late, and a funny email or text would come in from Alex's iPhone with a picture, funny comment, friendly hello...the guy liked giving people a smile, and made time to do it regularly.

I met Alex in Las Vegas in '04 at the Twin Turbo Shootout. Some of you probably remember, the Shootout was a comparison of tuned 996TT's (including GT2's) in several categories: braking, dyno numbers, public road driving, road race course time and quarter mile time on the drag strip. Each car was to be driven by two top road race drivers in order to get the best numbers laid down, and to eliminate variance based on driving talent by the cars' individual owners.

It's been a few years, so please forgive if I'm not perfect with my memory of the day.

I'd been friendly with Todd at Protomotive, and while talking one day he told me about a monster 996TT motor and tuning project he and Cynthia were working on with a super tight timeframe, and plans to hopefully get the car ready in time for the Shootout. The client was Alex, and I wanted the very first set of HRE Comp wheels with Ti hardware on this incredible Porsche at the event. Todd and Cynthia had prep'd Alex's car for European Car's shootout previously, and that car was impressive; no doubt whatever came out of the Protomotive shop this time, it was going to be even more formidable. So intro's and an order was made, the wheels were quickly built to spec's for the car and I flew out to Vegas to meet up with Todd and Cynthia a week later to watch the car in action. It turned out that the car simply wasn't able to be completed in time, but the Protomotive team came out anyway to lend support, and unexpectedly so did Alex.

At the drag strip, pro road racers Darren Law and Johannes Van Overbeek were switching back and forth, driving each entrant's car in an attempt to get the best time in the quarter. Some of you may remember Johannes turning off the traction control in Sharky's black chicktronic car, and the resulting high speed pirouettes down the end of the strip, keeping safely away from the barriers somehow but thrilling the rest of us watching from the start line. There was one more unusual and entertaining thing to happen, adding to an already exciting day. The cars weren't really hitting low trap times, low 11's if memory serves. Road race tires not drag slicks, road racers not drag racers, and after marking tires, it became evident the cars were spinning wheels within the tires off the line. Rob King's (S-Car-Go) GT2 was turning good times (in the top few near best on the day) but it seemed like the road racers were hitting a bit of a wall, possibly lacking a tiny bit in the launch department. Right on cue, a long black limo pulls up and Alex steps out in dress slacks, a golf shirt and shiny leather dress shoes...

He watched Johannes and Darren's launches and there was some discussion about what a proper drag racing launch should consist of, Alex said he had some drag experience, but honestly it was a little hard to believe. He looked too polished to be a drag racer, lol! More talk, and a few minutes go by, and then Alex borrows a helmet and slips into Rob's car, slippery-soled dress shoes and all. Hell-O!!! Alex lays down a long, pro-style drag burnout, keeping the car perfectly straight, and then fires off a solid run in the quarter within a few hundredths of the times run by two of the top pro GT racers in America. In one run. In someone else's car. With freakin' dress shoes on! It was pretty eye-opening. That was Alex.

I'd put together a big car meet and mountain drive in San Diego a few years back, and although Alex couldn't make it down in time for the morning caravan through the twisties, he came all the way down to join us for a drive down the coast afterward with his CGT. As we pulled back in to our meeting point at the mall in Carlsbad, there was Alex; not parked in the lot like everyone else, nope, he was parked in the red zone right next to Starbucks' entrance, leaning on his car, smartly dressed, smoking a cigar and with a lovely gal in the passenger seat. After we parked our cars and came over to talk for a bit, Alex hopped into the driver's seat and probably nearly caused everyone in the Bux to poop their pants by revving up the CGT! (Straight pipes, lol!) We cruised down the coast (Alex, me in my Lotus at the time, Luis in his GT3, Felix-PorscheFanatic on the boards riding shotgun w/Luis and taking great pics as usual). Before stopping at a hotel in Torrey Pines to watch the ocean, share a drink and stories (which included one of the mountain driving group that morning stopping to throw up along the road, lol!), we stopped for a little photo opp alongside Carlsbad beach and I grabbed a little vid of Alex gingerly leaving his parking spot after we were done. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um2zN...layer_embedded

(Felix, you think you can find the post from that day's events? What a great day.)

Alex always seemed to seek out the best tuners and car builders for each car project, like BBi who most recently brought his famous 996TT to the next level, but it wasn't just about the cars. He took serious steps to prepare and drive well. He was a flamboyant, humorous, generous, talented, sometimes mysterious and always dedicated car guy. And he was always going fast, raising eyebrows, and sharing it all for us to enjoy. Taking heat from some, cheers from others. But I have a feeling if we were entertained, and he got to share enjoyment and not keep it all to himself, that's what gave him the biggest smile.

I did and always will consider him a friend, and despite the great cars and amazing adventures shared, most of all I'll miss his sense of humor.

Here's to Alex being in a good place forever, driving great cars with our other lost car friends, and sharing stories...Hope there is such a place, and hope we all have a meetup there someday.

After I heard the news Sunday morning, I was thinking of William Wallace's line in Braveheart.

“Every man dies. Not every man really lives.”

 

Terrible.... R.I.P.

 

WOW! God Speed Alex. Thank you for all the Help you provided me over that past few years. I Will certainly never forget Everything!

My thoughts go out to the Family and the 6Speed Community

 

I had to register in order to say my farewell, another tribute to how many peoples lives he touched. i was never privileged enough to know him in real life. although i did have a few encounters with him online. In fact a few years ago he was the one that got me into cars, his videos alone made me open up my eyes to cars and the possibilities even on my small budget. From what i know from my own experiences he was a down to earth guy, took him a month or two to write back but he did. he was gaining quiet a following back then, a guy who drove the cars he bought....

His videos will be his immortality, as Samuel Butler said, To die completely, a person must not only forget but be forgotten, and he who is not forgotten is not dead.


Hes burning rubber in a better place now, See you in a while VR. RIP.

 

R.I.P. Prayers sent.

 

Terrible news. Rest In Peave Alex.

 

I don't have any stories of VR as I never met him in person, but I think the following video says a lot of the fun loving person he was.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNFshDbWxwA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og3t5NOVEc8

 

RIP Alex. I spoke with him a bunch not long ago and he lent me his HRE's for the TX mile in March.... Crazy how fragile life is and how easily it can be taken away.

 

R.I.P.I didn't know Alex personally but I was at this event on Friday watching practice runs and saw him/his car. I missed the actual runs on Saturday unfortunately. I know one of the medical responders up there working the event too, but out of respect for the family, won't comment on details ... not that it really matters!

 

RIP, very sad news

 

RIP VR. Thanks is truely very sad news!

 

He was a big person in the community. He will REALLY be missed. So sad.....